


Autumn in Ettleburg

by PlayboyBunnyStalin (LadyLisa)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Gen, IKEA Furniture, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26259838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLisa/pseuds/PlayboyBunnyStalin
Summary: Something casual about bootleg furniture and dancing in the living room inspired byaskbeneluxon Tumblr. I have an unhealthy love for his art and I'm giving you a gentle shove to go check it out !!
Kudos: 6





	Autumn in Ettleburg

Lukas pushed himself up on his tiptoes to try and look over the rustling crowd, struggling under the weight of a rather large pumpkin. The cold wind forced him to squint. It was making his jaw ache, bringing color high in his cheeks and a petal of it across the tip of his nose but paling the fingers trying to accommodate the pumpkin. 

Turning his face from the wind, he nudged Abel on the arm with his elbow. “I can find her,” he said, shaking his head. “She probably went to go get the other ingredients for the _kniddelen_ , let’s head home. It’s going to rain soon, and we have to finish putting the bed frames together.” He glanced up at the knotted grey clouds overhead, sheered silver and giving way to a monochrome rain-light that made the concrete underfoot seem colder. 

Abel set down the apple he had been inspecting. “Alright. But I think she went off to get coffee with Antonio.” Lukas grinned and Abel rolled his eyes, turning away from the apple stall and following Lukas back through the market. The hugged the sides of buildings as they walked, trying to stay out the wind and beginning drizzle that clung to their lashes, leaving blurry spots in their vision and a glittery dusting on their coats. 

The pumpkin became yet more difficult to hold and so Lukas entrusted it to able at the streetcorner by their building. By the time they had gotten inside the rain started, an uneven tap on the adjacent windows along the stairs. Their flat had a certain hollowness with the lights off and the greyscale town outside, unlived in, mostly empty but for the couch and a cluster of boxes they hadn’t yet unpacked from the move. The milky floorboards were cool and creaked underfoot, leaving a faint smell of pine in the place. 

Abel set the pumpkin down loudly on the table beside the produce. “What inspired this purchase?” he asked. Lukas shrugged. 

“Trying to get in the autumn spirit. I figure Emma will like it.” He hung his coat beside the door and went beside the half-constructed bed frame in the center of the room while Abel flicked the lights on. He sat down on opposite and continued his studious organization of the screws. The rain made a rough-hewn sort of symphony against the windows and sloping roof, smattering onto the walls when the wind picked up. 

Lukas sighed softly and there was a rustle as he turned the directions over. “Would you please pass me the little wrench?” he asked, holding out a hand.

“There isn’t one,” Abel said without looking up. 

“There should be,” Lukas insisted. He furrowed his brow and planted the instructions in front of Abel, gesturing at the diagram. “Surely there is one?” Abel shook his head, prompting Lukas to pressed a hand to his forehead. “Tell me this isn’t a repeat of the bookshelves?” Abel muttered something about not knowing what he was talking about. “Did you buy some heap version to save money? Off eBay or something possibly more ridiculous?”

Finally Abel looked up. “Of course I didn’t get it off _eBay_. I got it from the bootleg Liechtensteinian Craigslist, everyone knows that’s where you get good but inexpensive Ikea furniture.” 

Lukas lowered his hand. “I wonder, do you have a clear understand of the word ‘everyone’?” After yet another sigh Lukas draped himself over it, shaking his head. “I promised Em we would get these done today so she wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor anymore.” Defeated, he hunted through the screws for one he could try to use when the door opened, bringing the sticking scent of rain and wet leaves but something warm, too, like the interior of a coffeeshop. 

“Hey, Emma,” Abel said. 

“Evening, gentlemen,” she said with faux loftiness. “I got your provisions,” she added, raising her shopping bags and giving them a wiggle. 

“Why do you look so happy?” Abel asked. 

Emma grinned. “I’ll tell you in just a second, don’t you worry.” She set the shopping bags down beside the pumpkin on the counter. “How’s the furniture coming along?” Lukas stopped his jimmying with the screw. 

“Abel? Would you like to tell her?” 

“Sure,” he said. “We’ve encountered a bit of a problem because Lukas thinks he can’t function without some little wrench. You can problem solve, can’t you?” 

Lukas made an indigenent sort of sound in his throat. “Excuse me, but if you had given up this troubling crusade about frugality we wouldn’t _need_ to problem solve.” He glanced over at Emma for support, but she was just smiling to herself as she kicked off her shoes and stripped her coat off, flopping down on the couch. 

She went on smiling at the ceiling with closed eyes, fixing the ribbon in her hair and sneaking an arm beneath her head to idly play with her hair. She turned to Lukas. “Are you still making _kniddelen_ for us tonight?” she asked, nudging his shoulder with her foot. Lukas nodded. “Okay then.” She rolled over on her stomach, propping her chin on her hands.

“So… I have good news. It’s about Antonio.” Abel let out an exasperated breath but Lukas sat up, raising his eyebrows. “I ran in to him at the market.” Lukas inclined his head and she giggled a bit. “You were right, Lukas, I asked him to coffee with me and he said yes!” 

“See? I told you he liked you,” Lukas said. 

“Yes! And you were right!” she reached out, opening and closing her hands until Lukas took them. She squeezed his hands and pulled him a bit closer, an edge of fear in her expression. “But he wants to take me dancing, and I haven’t danced with a boy since I was about sixteen. You guys have to help me.” 

“I’d be delighted to,” Lukas said. Emma swung herself off the couch. “You keep working, Abel, sleeping on the floor every night is giving me and my sensitive antihistamines horrible congestion.” 

“You have sensitive everything,” Abel grumbled. 

“Yes he does, and he’s lovely all the same.” Emma put her arms around his shoulders. “I doubt Antonio will be as quick on his feet as you, so feel free to be clumsy. Or attempt it, if that’s possible for you. Hm. Now that I think on it, maybe I should dance with Abel instead.” 

At this Lukas gave a vehement shake of the head. “Absolutely not, he needs to finish the bed and understand the pain he’s caused denying us that little wrench.” Abel gave a heart scoff that Lukas ignored with diligence. “What type of dancing are you planning on?” 

“I assume something casual and fun. You can do that, right? Or do we have to do waltzing and such?” 

Lukas laughed under his breath. “No, we don’t have to waltz. Abel, toss me my phone.” He turned to catch it, flicking through his playlist and then tossing it on the couch. “This one’s good,” he said, putting his hands on Emma’s waist as she looped her arms across his shoulders.

Emma pushed herself up on her toes when she danced, her damp hair whisking around her shoulders and flushed face. Lukas raised and arm to spin her, and when he pulled her back towards him she raised her arm and spun him back. He turned with an elegant little flourish, wrapping an arm around her lower back so she could lean back towards those alabaster floorboards the creaked underfoot and had a lingering smell of pine. She gripped his shoulders as he pulled her back upright. 

The subtle storm outside matured into low rolls of thunder as they went on dancing and Abel engaging in a painful warfare with the bed frames. The rain struck harder off the windows, a more forceful movement of the ongoing symphony. Lightning occasionally winked off the glass, and when the storm drew close and the thunder cracked Emma held a little tighter to Lukas. 

“I should start the _kniddelen_ ,” he said as he spun her yet again. She nodded. 

“Come dance with me, Abel. You’re closer to Antonio’s height.” Abel frowned over his shoulder at her. 

“He’s nowhere near my height. Besides that, do I seem like a dancer to you?”

“You clearly have potential,” Lukas said, offering a hand. Abel glanced at it and returned his attention to the screw. “Abel…” Lukas went on, prodding his shoulder with his outstretched hand. Emma started imploring him and he begrudgingly stood up and went over to them, adjusting his scarf.

“Loosen up, you’re too tense,” she said. “Enjoy the music.” Abel frowned and commenced to sort of shift his weight. “What is _that_?” Emma demanded. “ _That_ is disgusting. _That_ cannot be tolerated. Lukas, move, let me.” She flicked her wrist at him and Lukas let go. Emma pushed her fingers through Abel’s, glaring up at him. “Dance or I’m going to _make you_.” 

“Uh oh,” Lukas whispered. Abel raised his eyebrows at her. Emma made of point of raising them right back. “Have fun, you two, I’m going to start the dumplings. Do you want coffee, either of you?” Emma nodded. 

“I _love_ you, Lukas.” She stood on her tiptoes to look over Abel’s shoulder but was still at about his collarbone. Huffing, she dropped down halfway. “It’s like you don’t know what to do with yourself. Just move, you know? However the music makes you feel.” 

“This is it,” Abel said, continuing what might be described as the mild interest of someone hearing a song they liked somewhat. 

“Until now I really didn’t think people could have completely wrong interpretations,” she said. “Spin me.” Abel raised an arm and she twirled herself, leaning back and yelling “now catch me!” Abel hooked his arms beneath her back as she arched back towards the floor, tipping her head back and laughing. 

“Emma!” he said. “Warn me first, I could have dropped you and you would have broken your skull.”

“I knew you would catch me.” Abel grumbled as he pulled her back upright. “You’ve got to think fast,” she added, poking him in the chest with a continued grin. 

“Well, I doubt Antonio does. He’s a real dolt, same as every other guy you’ve been with.” 

There was a soft laugh from Lukas in the kitchen. “She likes them dumb, you know that,” he called.

“I do, I _adore_ them dumb,” Emma said, her eyes dropping half closed. “But that’s very easy with men.” Abel frowned. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. Antonio’s not so bad, just horrible at picking up hints. That’s probably why he didn’t ask me out, poor boy didn’t even know I liked him.” She blushed a bit now and held tighter to Abel’s hand, attempting to spin him and having to stand on the very tops of her toes to manage it. Abel’s effort and enthusiasm left much to be desired, so she spun him again and this time he humored her. 

“I really think he’s a waste of time,” Abel said. 

At this, Lukas sidled up to the doorway, shaking his head at Abel. “Hey, Abel! We don’t need the negativity right now, let her be happy! She’s going on a date with someone she likes.” 

“Setting up for failure,” Abel insisted. 

“Not all of us are relationship illiterates, darling,” she said, patting his cheek. Abel jerked away from her. 

“Your evidence?” Emma sighed and held up her fingers, counting under her breath. 

“All them, plus that guy I dated last summer. I can’t remember his name, but I do remember whenever I went over to his he just played préludes on the piano. Not that I minded, since I figured out pretty quickly he was good with his fingers.” She winked at Lukas, who winked back.

  
“My boundaries feel overstepped,” Abel commented. Emma rolled her eyes and raised Abel’s arm to twirl herself again, dropping back so he had to catch her again. This time she let go completely and grabbed his scarf when he caught her, laughing again. “You’re going to send me into cardiac arrest if you keep this up.”

  
“I’m keeping you in the moment. Enjoy it,” She said, pushing herself back upright. “Speaking of musicians, Antonio’s excellent with the guitar, so I know he’s dexterous too. But… hmm. Let’s discuss: can or can’t he find the clit?” 

Abel bristled. “I’d really rather not.” 

Lukas drummed his fingers on the doorframe, thinking. “Not sure. I feel like he’s at least polite enough to ask.” 

“Don’t waste your time with someone you’ve go to explain something that simple to.” Lukas and Emma both looked up. 

“Oh? Abel?” Emma started. “Do you have something you’d like to share?” Abel shook his head, so she turned away, now distractedly stepping in time with the beat. “How good do you think he is in general, Lukas? I mean, he must get laid about twice a week, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s adept.” Lukas dissolved into thought again, and Emma let go of Abel to go sit at the kitchen counter and think too. 

Eventually Lukas pulled himself away from the wall. “I’m really not sure. You’ll have to let us know.” He checked the pot on the stove and turned the heat down a bit, rolling his sleeves up to start measuring out the flour. 

“I’d like to be exempt from that conversation,” Abel said. He had sat back down on the floor and was back pouring over the instructions, valiantly returning to the front. 

“See, you always say that but then you listen anyway,” Emma said, shaking her head. “Who are you trying to fool? Yourself.” She went over to their Sylvia coffee machine and flicked it on for Lukas. “I’ll make it,” she said when Lukas turned towards it. 

After she’d finished with her coffee, Emma settled on the couch with her laptop to watch something, holding the cup to her chest and feeling the warmth of it through his sweater. The brief flurry of activity began to settle. There was a bit of rustling and a few creaks of the floor when Abel turned a page of the directions and adjusted his seat on the ground, the icy-pitched tap of Emma’s fingernails on the handle of her mug. 

Abel finally succeeded to get the screw in after another hour or so, calling out some offhand snide comment to Lukas, who might have hummed louder only to drown him out. 

Lukas poked his head around the door. “It’s ready,” he said. Emma slammed her laptop shut and jumped up. “We haven’t got the table set up yet either, so it looks like we’ll be using another box tonight.” Emma sighed and went over to the corner to heave on of Abel’s boxes of books into the middle of the room. 

“We have _got_ to get our furniture situation sorted out. I can’t bring anyone around here with it like this.” She sat in front of the box, crossing her legs. Abel sat across from her, thanking Lukas as he sat down the plates and bowl of steaming _kniddelen_. Emma gasped softly and stared at Abel. 

“Is that your master plan?” she asked. “Are you buying all this off-brand, dysfunctional furniture to stop me from bringing someone around?” 

  
“He wishes he had been so clever,” Lukas said, smiling at Abel. 

“While that’s not my plan, I am definitely that clever. I made that all by myself without your unnecessary parts." He gestured behind him to the completed frame. 

“Speaking of unnecessary parts…” Emma began, cutting a dumpling in half with her fork.

“I know what that question is going to be and I am not having it at the dinner table,” Abel said. Emma sighed. 

“ _Table_? This is a box of your sweaters. But fair enough, you know me too well now.” 

“Yes, I do. We’re not talking about Antonio for the rest of the evening.” Lukas and Emma stared at him. “Fine. The rest of dinner. You couldn’t pass a Bechdel test if I paid you all the money—”  
“You could have spent on proper furniture,” Lukas cut in. This silenced Abel. “We’ve won,” he said to Emma. 

“You haven’t ‘won’ anything,” Abel reatiliated.

“Oh, just focus on your food and pay us no mind,” Lukas said. 

“I’m not going to ignore you,” Abel muttered. 

“What did I say?” Emma asked. “You’re just too high and mighty to admit you’re just as interested in tea as the rest of us and I’m sick of you pretending otherwise.” Lukas nodded. Abel spent the rest of dinner in silence, and after they had taken care of he dishes Abel offered to help Emma get her mattress on the bed frame. Lukas frowned at it. 

“I believe that’s too wide to fit through her bedroom door.” Abel stiffened. “Well, have fun disassembling all your hard work and redoing it tomorrow. You, Emma, come with me, we’ve got a date to plan.” Emma grinned, linking her arm through his and leaving Abel with horror in his eyes beside the bed frame. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kniddelen is like Luxembourgish dumplings, usually served with bacon (I add parmesan too though, I think it gives it some more depth of flavor). It's pretty heavy but it's really good, I recommend it.


End file.
